


In Repair

by ikyrian



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: First Meetings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 16:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1824700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikyrian/pseuds/ikyrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A trip to the marketplace brings Fili new treasures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Repair

**Author's Note:**

> Given the fuzzy ages of most of the dwarves by Tolkien, none are given. Fili is the equivalent of a young child, while I imagine Bofur to be a very young adult.

It can be overwhelming for a young dwarf, going to the market on bright morning to find a gift for his brother. The wonders of the town, the sights and smells of a busy marketplace overwhelming Fili until he is pulled away from his mother. His heart pounds in his chest when he realizes and he turns a tight circle, trying to catch a glimpse of her hair or dress. What had been a thrilling expedition only a few moments ago is suddenly frightening with the stench of fish and waste, the press of unwashed bodies knocking him around, the din of the crowd disorienting him.

Fili jumps when a hand claps down on his shoulder, but can’t seem to protest as he’s dragged bodily off of the street, feet scraping uselessly against the muddy ground. He finds himself suddenly standing in what appeared to be a toy shop and his eyes widen with wonder.

“Well now,” a kind voice says, “what have we here?”

He whips around to find an older dwarf has hold of his shoulder, a gentle smile on his face. Fili stares mutely back as the other dwarf’s eyebrow twitches up in expectation of an answer that is never going to come. It goes on for a moment until the other dwarf turns and calls out.

“Bofur. Bofur!” There’s a clatter at the back of the shop, and another dwarf stumbles into sight, clothes dusty, face covered in dirt and sweat, brows pressed low on his face as he glares tiredly at the dwarf who called him. “Mind the shop, will you? I think I saw where this one’s mother went.”

“Aye, Bifur,” he says sullenly, eyes trailing down to where Fili stands shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. He suddenly wants nothing more than to be away from this cheerless dwarf, but when he tries to follow, Bifur is long gone and Bofur is trudging further into the room. Fili backs up quickly until his back runs into a low table, rattling whatever is on top.

Bofur grunts a little as he levers himself down into a chair next to a table with a bowl on it and begins to unwrap dirty cloths from his hands. From where he stands, Fili can smell the earth and sweat that clings to him. Bofur growls a little under his breath as he struggles to peel the cloth off, eyes sliding to Fili before barking out, “Ye can look, but don’t touch. And don’t leave the shop!”

Fili takes it as an opportunity to get as far from the grumpy dwarf as possible while still remaining in the confines of the shop. Bofur’s unhappy presence soon disappears from his mind as he takes in the wonders laid out before him. There are toys of all kinds, those that spin or fly, some that move either on strings or with winders, some made of metal or stone or wood, or in all three. Fili slowly circles the shop until he comes to a small toy that seems different from the rest.

It’s simply a wood carving of a lion standing in a roar, one large paw in the air as if to take a swipe, tail unfurled behind it. This one doesn’t seem to have anything special about it like the other toys in the shop and somehow crude compared to the other toys on the shelf. But the wood has been polished to a high shine, the wood taking on a golden hue that gets darker at the mane and tail tip. The mane of the large cat was carefully carved to show movement, as if being tousled in the wind. Its face is appropriately fearsome with large canines showing, lips pulled back in a perpetual snarl, tongue curled in its gaping maw. The eye sockets were carved out and filled with a bit of polished glass, bottle blue-green like his own.

Fili stares for a long time, transfixed. He listens carefully for a minute, before reaching out a hesitant finger to stroke down its back.

“I thought I told ye not to touch!” Bofur booms from right behind him, and Fili jumps away from the sound straight into another shelf. It clatters alarmingly, but nothing falls or breaks, so Fili counts it as a victory even as he backs further away. Bofur sighs and rubs his hand down his now clean face. Fili notices that white cloths have replaced the dirty ones from before, the skin pink from scrubbing and the nails clean. He drops his eyes down to the toes of his boots before he can see anything else.

Bofur sighs at his silence before picking up the lion he’d been staring at and running his fingers over the smooth sides. “Ach, lad, this isn’t for sale. One of me own, y’see, and not quite fitting for Bifur’s shop.”

Fili peeks up at him from behind his fringe and Bofur gives a small twist of a smile, before slowly holding the carving out to him. “Go on, take it. Ye can play in the front of the shop, on the set with this while ye wait for your mother.”

He eagerly snatches it from Bofur’s hand, a strange tingle shooting up his arm when their hands touch, before edging around him to go play with his new treasure. He barely registers Bofur’s slow steps as he moves back towards his chair as he settles in to play, his mind already full of his imaginings.

He doesn’t register his mother’s frantic cries until she’s almost on top of him and pulling him into a hug. Bifur stands over her shoulder with a small smile watching their reunion. Fili tries to return the lion, but Bofur is nowhere to be seen.

Wordlessly, he holds it out to Bifur, who looks at him with surprise. “Bofur give that to you?”

“Yes, sir.” The wood has warmed with his skin, and the lion in his imagination is as alive as one that could be found out in the plains. Bifur wraps his fingers back around the toy.

“Keep it, then. Bofur’s gone to bed; the next time you come to visit, you can give it back to him then.”

“Yes, sir,” Fili says and he cradles the toy to his chest. “Thank you, sir.”

His mother grabs his hand again and as they step back out into the warm sunshine Fili sees a shadow move across the window and Bofur turns away.

**Author's Note:**

> This has the potential to be a series, but for now is simply a one shot.


End file.
